Taisetsu
by Rose Thorne
Summary: Miwan has been searching for Zelgadis ever since Lina-tachi left Femille. Finding him isn't what he expected. Miwan/Zelgadis, one-sided. Set after Evo-R.


**Taisetsu**

by Rose Thorne

Disclaimer: _Slayers_ is owned by a bunch of folks who aren't me. I'm borrowing them for my perverse pleasure, much as Xellos borrows emotions for his.

* * *

Miwan had lost hope in ever finding him; he'd traveled far and wide since he had left Femille in the turmoil that had followed the Reveal. He had heard stories that he had used to try to follow him, but not knowing his name certainly put Miwan at a significant disadvantage.

He sincerely doubted the stone-skinned man's real name was "Lulu."

From the slip when he had introduced himself, it started with an X or a Z, or maybe even an S. But that wasn't a huge help.

And, of course, Miwan hadn't had the opportunity to talk to him after the Reveal. That really wasn't surprising; his mother had been so infuriated at the Reveal—which had spread throughout Femille like wildfire despite her best efforts—that she had called for the imprisonment and execution of him and his comrades. Something that Miwan had stalled long enough for them to disappear.

And disappear they had. By the time he had followed, they were out of reach. After nearly a year of fruitless searching that had often put him in awful situations, Miwan was seriously considering giving up and returning to Femille—if the city was still standing.

He had actually started on the journey back when he was accosted by bandits. Not that he had anything of value after so long on the road and so many times being robbed. What was worrisome about these bandits was their curiosity regarding his gender; despite everything, being raised as a woman had left its mark, and Miwan was used to this curiosity in the outside world.

What he wasn't accustomed to was the lewd quality of it—at least not enough for it to be unsurprising. Miwan had encountered it before, but the interest had disappeared with the revelation that he was biologically male.

But these bandits, before he could clarify, proved that he had been lucky in those previous encounters.

"Who cares what it is. It's pretty."

The terror helped Miwan find the strength to break the hold they had on him, made him run faster. But unless he found help…

He ran right into someone when he stumbled his way into a clearing, and he could only hope that they weren't a bandit as well.

The voice that intoned, "Fireball!" was familiar. So familiar that Miwan nearly crumpled in relief. But unlike the first time, that fateful first meeting, he refused to pass out. Not until he'd at least confirmed that it wasn't a figment of his imagination.

He looked up to find a familiar stony face, metallic hair poking from an off-white hood.

A face that showed no recognition, only mild concern and… a bit of curiosity. A face that was quickly covered by his scarf.

Miwan hadn't realized he was a shaman, but he'd never seen his real clothing. Somehow, it wasn't terribly surprising to find that he was that powerful.

"Did they hurt you…?" he finally asked.

The drawn out pause combined with his expression made Miwan realize with embarrassment that, once again, this man had mistaken him for a woman. And his voice would hardly clear that up. He hadn't been able to break out of his feminine speaking patterns, even after a year.

"Thankfully, no. You stopped them. They didn't seem to care that I'm a man."

There was a little spark of recognition at that, but his savior shook his head as though to clear it. "Well, you may as well pilfer their pockets while they're unconscious. They certainly deserve it. You should be careful on these roads; solitary travelers are easy targets."

Miwan could only nod, and then kicked himself as the other man made his way toward the edge of the clearing, as though to disappear.

"Thank you," he said quickly. "This is the second time you've saved me, Lulu-san."

He stopped dead, his whole body stiff in surprise at that. When he turned, his eyes were wide. "_Miwan_?"

He nodded, relieved that the shaman had at least remembered his name. "I'm sorry. I don't know your real name. I never got a chance to hear it before you left."

"Zelgadis," he murmured after a moment. "Zelgadis Greywords."

The name fit him, and not only because it was masculine, not only because it was the first true name Miwan knew to call him. It was a _strong_ name.

"You're a long way from Femille," Zelgadis said after a moment. "Don't you have escorts, as the prince?"

Miwan shook his head. "I left shortly after you did. The turmoil after the Reveal made it easy to slip away."

Zelgadis frowned at him. "That was almost a year ago."

"I know. I was about to give up and go home."

The shaman eyed him, and Miwan knew he was taking in the shabby clothing, his gaunt appearance. He hadn't had anything to eat in several days, and it was hard to sleep in the wilderness with the threat of bandits keeping him from lighting a fire and nothing to keep the wild animals away.

"It can be difficult to leave home," Zelgadis finally said, completely misinterpreting his words. "I can escort you. It's not very safe in this part of the world after all the upheaval."

Miwan shook his head. "No," he murmured, blushing slightly. "Now that I've found what I was looking for, I'm… not ready to go home."

Zelgadis didn't seem to realize what he was saying at first, and then he blinked, wide-eyed and shocked. The blush that spread across his cheeks was actually quite charming, standing out against the blue stone skin in a way that was almost adorable.

"Me?" he managed.

"Yes. You saved me from bandits, and then… Well, you saved me from being forced into the role my mother expected me to take. I might not be the most masculine person, but at least now _I_ get to decide. You gave me that strength."

Zelgadis stared at him, shaking his head, but Miwan didn't give him a chance to protest. "Really, you're probably the most important person who has ever come into my life."

He knew that wasn't reciprocated. After all, Zelgadis was clearly an adventurer, and had likely met all sorts of interesting people. Miwan had likely only been a random person he'd met, a blip on his journeys.

"You shouldn't put me on a pedestal," Zelgadis finally murmured. "I'm no hero, no saint. I went to Femille hoping to find a cure. Everything I've done has been for that. Not that it matters anymore. I'll look like this, a monster, the rest of my life."

His words startled Miwan, in no small part because he _had_ put Zelgadis on a pedestal. Had hero-worshipped him. It was the basis of his crush. He'd never considered who Zelgadis might really be, hadn't even realized that the stone skin wasn't natural. Hadn't considered that he might be in a similar position to Miwan himself.

Seeing him as something other than a saint was new, but instead of pushing his feelings aside, it only made them stronger, made him want to be someone who could ease the sorrow he heard in Zelgadis' voice.

"We're in the same boat, more or less," Miwan said after a while. "I'll never be female, and can never really be male, either. Technically, I'm both, or neither."

It wasn't exactly the same, but he would never fit into normal society—and he was sure Zelgadis had the same problem. Maybe the difference was that Miwan was getting tired of trying.

"So why can't we be ourselves?" Miwan whispered.

When Zelgadis sighed softly, he realized abruptly how _exhausted_ the shaman looked. Physically, and maybe even deeper than just that. Miwan may have had a difficult time during the past year, but it looked as though Zelgadis' year had been even more stressful.

A bandit groaned from where he had been thrown from the force of the Fireball, and Miwan decided to take things into his own hands. He strode over, kicked the bandit in the head to render him unconscious again, and then took Zelgadis' original suggestion, taking what loot the thieves had on them.

Then he turned back to Zelgadis.

"You look exhausted, and I'm not much better. Let's find an inn, pig out, and get some sleep. We can figure out what to do next after that." He smiled tiredly. "My—or, rather, their—treat."

There was only a moment's hesitation before the shaman nodded.

Miwan would see if Zelgadis would let him travel with him, would be patient.

He might never become Zelgadis' important person, but, if nothing else, at least they could be friends.

* * *

Set after Evo-R.

For the Springkink prompt: Slayers, Miwan/Zelgadis: stalking, romance, hero worship - After the incident in Femille, it had been easy for Miwan to slip out. Finding Zelgadis, on the other hand, wasn't easy at all.

Not sure if this works too well, but it'd be incredibly long if I kept going.


End file.
